A man is walking along the shoreline of an ocean when he comes up on a little boy standing in the midst of thousands of starfish that had washed up along the shore. The man watches the little boy as he picks up a starfish and one by one throws them back in the sea. The man watches for several minutes then walks up to the boy and asks, "What are you doing?" The little boy answers, "I'm saving these starfish so they won't die." The man says to the boy..."There are too many to save, it won’t make any difference."
Some would say that the man has a point.. after all...there are so many starfish on the beach... what will throwing a few back do? How can the kindness and generosity of one boy make a difference? Truth is... one person can’t do it all.
But one person can do something. And when enough people do something... big things happen. Lasting change occurs. What once seemed unachievable becomes reachable. Every act of generosity matters... and every sacrifice... every gift... every commitment toward helping someone become the person they were created to be is important. As we approach the May 17/18 weekend, and the opportunity to begin this year’s Temple Centurion journey, I want to remind you of a few things.
Temple Centurions are those that give above and beyond their tithe toward one of five areas... Launch (start new campuses), Impact (missions), Elevate (upgrades to existing campuses), Innovate (Television ministry and iCampus), and Accelerate (debt reduction). Each of these are equally important but you might be nudged to contribute to one particular area. We’ve made that very easy on the newly updated website found here.
Over the past few weeks, you’ve been given a black Temple Centurion envelope in your program. Don’t worry if you don’t have one yet... we’ll have them available on the weekends leading up to May 17/18. I want to encourage you to take some time over the next little while, and if you haven’t already, pray with your family. Ask God what He would have you give and how far He’s asking you to stretch. As I mentioned from the platform, I’m asking everyone that is becoming a Temple Centurion to give as much of their commitment as possible that weekend at all of our campuses. This will allow us to quickly begin work in all of those areas. From there, it’s simply a matter of continuing to give your tithe each week and an additional amount above that to Temple Centurion.
Were you a Temple Centurion last year? Maybe He’s nudging you to increase your commitment to reach the next level. Never been one before? Silver Temple Centurions give just $500 above and beyond their tithe... that’s only a couple of Starbucks coffees a week.
Why is that amount so reachable?
Because we believe that everybody may not be able to give the same amount... but everybody can do something. And everybody’s something can make a difference.
Looking back at the starfish story... I want to share with you what the boy said in response to the man’s discouraging words:
“The man says to the boy..."There are too many to save, it won’t make any difference."
The little boy reached down and picked up another starfish and said, "it will make a difference to this one" as he threw it into the ocean.”
You may hesitate to become a Temple Centurion because you don’t think your giving matters... that’s there’s a lot to do and your commitment won’t make a difference. Let me assure you... it does. Your kindness...your faithfulness...and your generosity in supporting the vision of Potential Church affects not only campus development now... but will help assure that future generations will discover and grow in Christ just as you have.
It’s my prayer that we wouldn’t see this as just an opportunity to give resources... but understand it as a chance to change lives with what God has blessed us with. Let’s come together... all of us... and make a difference for the Kingdom.
